Combination fixed and adjustable multiple device



y 2,551,658 COMBINATION FIXED AND ADJUSTABLE MULTIPLE DEVICE M. H. EMRICK Filed June 17, 1948 May 8, 1951 INVEN-roR MELVIN H. EMRICK ATToN Y Patented May 8, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE COMBINATION FIXED AND ADJUSTABLE MULTIPLE DEVICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices generally termed multiple tapping devices. More particularly, the invention deals with devices of this kind having means for adjustably supporting a plurality of tools while, at the same time, employing means for mounting xed tools on the device, whereby a wide range or" operations can be simultaneously performed on a workpiece within the range of the adjustable tools, as well as the xed tools on said device. Still more particularly, the invention deals with devices or apparatus of the kind under consideration, wherein each of the adjustable tools employed comprises a gear train unit having a drive axis fixed in the device and,

around which, the gear train of the unit has two independent rotatable adjustments.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed, and in which the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan and sectional view of a device made according to my invention, with part of the construction broken away.

Fig. 2 1s a partial section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In multiple tool operating devices or apparatus of the kind under consideration, tool supporting and operating members of such devices have had a limited range of adjustment and, by

reason of the construction of these devices, it

has been necessary, in the average shop, to utilize numerous devices of the kind under consideration to satisfy and meet the necessary requirements in performing operations on varied types of workpieces.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a device or apparatus of the character described, wherein the tool supporting and operating members have a wide range of adjustment, so as to cover a wide eld or area of a workpiece and, at the same time, in providing a device or apparatus, wherein fixed tool supporting members can also be employed in conjunction with the adjustable tool supporting members.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one adaptation and use of my invention, in which I represents the casing of a device, the casing having, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, upper and lower plates or wall members I I and I2. Other detail structures of the casing l@ are omitted, as they are well known in this art. However, in Fig. l, I have shown two bearing portions i3 for the conventional rods or tubes lli, upon which the device is slidably mounted in movement of the tool supporting members toward and from the workpiece. At i5 are shown other bearings or brackets for supporting rods I6, in connection with which template plates, such as the plate Il shown in Figs. 2 and 3, are mounted. The plates Il' are utilized as a means guiding the operator in fixing the position of the adjustable tool supporting members. In other words, the plate il is accurately laid-out for the positioning of the tool supporting members, as later described.

Mounted centrally of the plates il and l2 is a main drive shaft i8, the upper end i9 of which angular in form to t the socket of a drive spindle or drive of an adaptor in machines, in conjunction with which the device is employed. On the shaft iii, within the casing, is a drive pinion 2t, with which meshes two pairs' of idler gears, one pair 2i and the other pair 22. Meshing with the pair of idler gears 2l is another pair of idler gears 23, the latter, in turn, meshing with larger drive gears 2Q mounted on shafts 25. The shafts 25 are positioned centrally of the side portions of the casing IB, as indicated in Fig. l. All of the gears in Fig. l are diagrammatically shown to simplify the illustration. Certain units of the gearing, however, is illustrated more in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 and, in all instances, the shats of the various idler gears are mounted in the plates i i and i2 of the casing, as is illustrated in the mounting of one of the shafts 25 in Fig. 3 and the mounting of the shaft of one of the idler gears 22 in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Driven from each of the gears 2A are two pairs of adjustable units, one of which units is shown in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawing and, as all units are of the same construction, references will be applied only to one unit, namely the unit generally designated by the reference character 26 in Fig. l of the drawing. I-Iowever, to clearly designate the respective units, they will be identied as 26a, the other unit driven from the gear 2d at the right of Fig. l, and the units 2Gb and 26o driven by the gear Zl at the left of Fig. l. The drive shaft of each of the units is designated by the reference characters 2l, 21a, 2lb and Zlc in Fig. l of the drawing.

Now turning to Fig. 3 of the drawing, a detail description of the unit 26 will be given. On the shaft 2l is mounted a double-faced gear 28, the upper gear face 29 of which meshes with the gear 24 and the lower face 30 of which meshes with the upper gear face 3l of another double-face gear 32, rotatable about a bolt shaft 33. The gear 32 may be said to comprise an idler gear, which is rotatable around the shaft 21. The gear 32 has a lower gear face 34 which meshes with a gear 35 on a tool supporting member 36. 'Ihis member, including its gear, is also rotatable around the bolt shaft 33, thus providing the two rotatable adjustments of the unit with respect to the axis 2l.

Rotatably mounted in the lower plate or casing part I2 is a flanged disc 31, on which seats the upper head end 38 of the bolt shaft 33. The disc 3l has a large central opening 39, in which the gear 28 is freely arranged. The disc 3l protrudes through the lower surface of the plate l2 and rotatably adjustable therewith is a housing d, in which the shaft 2 has a bearing mounting, the housing being apertured to receive the gear 32. The housing is also recessed, as seen at 4i, to receive the upper sleeve end 42 of a supplemental housing 43. The housing 33 has a thrust bearing 44, with which the inner end of the tool supporting member operates. Also in the housing 43 is a roller bearing 45 for free rotation of the member The housing 43 is recessed to receive the gear 32.

Another supplemental housing 5 is arranged below and constitutes part of the housing 133 and has a roller bearing i? for the lower portion of the member 35. The boit shaft 33 also has a bearing in the housing 35, the housing being recessed, as seen at d5, to receive a split nut di! for holding the parts in assembled relationship and a clamp or holding nut 5B, both mounted on the bolt shaft 33. The nut 49 serves to hold the various housings 45, i3 and it in an assembled relationship with respect to each other, while ermitting rotary adjustment of the unit 2G. The nut 5B serves to securely clamp the parts in a predetermined adjusted position. It will appear that the housing i5 nts snugly in an aperture 5l in the template plate i? in properly alining the tool supporting member 3S with respect to the workpiece.

It will be understood that each unit 25a, 26h and 25e is of the same construction as the unit 25, above described in detail, and, with each unit, the bolt is free to rotate a complete revolution around the axis 2l, whereas the member 35 is, in turn, free to rotate about the axis 33.

In Fig. l of the drawing, the parts are shown with the axes 27, 33 and 35 in a common radial alinement and, in such position, it will be apparent that the extent of adjustment of the member 36 would be cn a radius common to the radius shown.

In the position of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1, tools may be positioned at either end portion of the casing i for positioning in a relatively wide eld and this applies to `both end portions of the casing. In the construction shown and by utilizing the double pairs of idlers 2 i-23, the two pairs of units are kept in a relatively wide spaced relationship to each other and with respect to the center portion of the device. However, by elimihating one of the idlers in another type of device, the entire mechanism can be brought into a relatively close environment so as to produce what might be termed four-leaf clover area of coverage by the four adjustable tool supporting members.

In Fig. l of the accompanying drawing, the wider spread arrangement has been illustrated simply to show the range of constructing devices of the kind under consideration by utilizing a series of idler gears. In this connection, it will also be apparent that I am not limited to any symmetric arrangement of any of the various units.

In conjunction with the adjustable tool supporting members, I also employ what I term xed tool supporting members 52, 52. As both of these members are of the same construction, the brief description of one will be applied to both. In Fig. 2 of the drawing, a section is shown through one of these members. The member 52 has a bearing support in the plates Il and l2 and, within the casing IQ, the pinion or gear 22 meshes with a gear or pinion 53 on the member 52. Suitably secured to the plate I2 is an elongated sleeve 54 having, at its lower end, a bearing 55 for the member 52.

The plate Il will be apertured, as seen at 56, for the reception of the fixed tool 52 and this plate is also apertured, as seen at 5'! in Fig. 3 of the drawing, to permit insertion of a socket wrench into the angular socket 53 of the unit 55 in securing and loosening each unit.

It will be understood that a device of the type and kind under consideration lends itself to a wide range of operation of a multiplicity of tools adjusted to numerous stations with respect to a workpiece.

In the present illustration, two fixed position supporting members, such as the members 52, 52 are employed, and four adjustable tool supporting members, one in each of the units 2S, 260., 2Gb and 25e. In some instances, tools may be coupled with only part of the members in question. On the other hand, devices of the kind under consideration may include additional xed position tool supporting members, as well as additional adjustable tool supporting members. In all instances, the tools supported on the respective members are simultaneously moved in the direction of a workpiece in performing the desired operation thereon. In some instances, the one device may operate simultaneously upon a number of workpieces supported in close proximity to each other.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In devices of the character described, an elongated casing, a main drive shaft having a Xed position centrally of the casing, two pairs of supplemental drive shafts having fixed positions at end portions of the casing in spaced relationship to the main drive shaft, means comprising one gear for driving each pair of supplemental drive shafts, alined idler gears between said one gear of each pair and the main drive shaft for simultaneously operating all of the supplemental drive shafts, a tool supporting member having a fixed position on the casing at one side of said main drive shaft, a tool operating unit for each supplemental drive shaft, each unit having a tool supporting member adjustable circumferentially with respect to its supplemental drive shaft, and each unit having a gear train for driving the tool supporting member from said supplemental drive shaft.

2. In devices of the character described, an elongated casing, a main drive shaft having a iixed position centrally of the casing, two pairs of supplemental drive shafts having fixed positions at end portions of the casing in spaced relationship to the main drive shaft, means comprising one gear for driving each pair of supplemental drive shafts, alined idler gears between MELVIN I-I. EMRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 287,074 Winn Oct. 23, 1883 1,297,462 Hallenbeck Mar. 18, 1919 1,449,164 Buhr Mar. 20, 1923 1,489,495 Jeirey Apr. 8, 1924 1,896,650 Trotter Feb. 7, 1933 2,102,098 Sickles Dec. 14, 1937 2,245,751 Blackmore June 14, 1941 2,441,722 Schultz May 18, 1948 

